With Chinese New Year (CNY) around the corner, it’s time to start booking restaurants or suffer the consequences of tardiness. Of course, we know that all the good Chinese restaurants will be full to overflowing and if you haven’t yet booked your reunion dinner for Chinese New Year’s Eve on February 4, now is the time to pick up the phone.
Knowing how busy Chinese New Year will be in most restaurants, in this issue I am now going to suggest a peaceful and quiet restaurant where one can have a full choice of oriental, local and western dishes and enjoy a view of the fairways of the Royal Perak Golf Club (RPGC).
Fairway, the restaurant, operated by the Putrade All Suites, a 34-unit hotel at RPGC, has a chef all-rounder in the person of Chef Shafie who has experience in both oriental and western dishes and adds innovative touches to some of the well-loved local dishes which lift them from the mundane to special heights.
Like his Nasi Lemak with Roasted Lamb Shank Rendang, an enormous lamb shank braised in the rendang style and served with all the traditional nasi accoutrement: coconut rice, ikan bilis, onion sambal, cucumber slices, boiled egg and fried peanuts. The lamb shank was wonderfully tender and with the rice and other condiments, a meal for four (my group has small appetites!) RM125 to be ordered in advance. Of course, they also have the regular nasi lemak with chicken rendang on the menu at RM8.50.
Their Special Kampung Nasi Goreng is well worth ordering, a hearty well-flavoured plate of spicy fried rice with prawns and chicken served with a chicken thigh topped with a fried egg and accompanied with fish crackers; RM9.90.
In between dishes we snacked on Cucur Udang which can be ordered anytime as a snack or appetiser. Very tasty morsels of fried batter filled with prawns, onions and spices. Yummilicious; RM6.
Fish Head Curry in the traditional Indian style is also to be ordered in advance. Their fish head is the big snapper fish head which is difficult to find in Indian restaurants these days and is very reasonably priced depending on size. Tangy, not too spicy with aubergines, ladies fingers and tomatoes; RM113.
Chicken Chop is reasonable at RM17.50, although I did make the comment that the sides of the chicken needed to be crispy. Prawn Aglio Olio with a choice of fettuccine or spaghetti was al dente and the prawns generous and very fresh, although you need to ask for virgin olive oil to be brought to the table for added smoothness. They also have a choice of bolognaise, marinara or carbonara sauce; RM16.50.
From the Chinese menu, I loved their Lemon Chicken and their Sweet Sour Chicken, both tangy in their different ways but neither too sweet nor too sour; RM27. These can be combined in sets too.
Their menu is extensive ranging from snacks like sandwiches, Pisang Goreng or fried bananas and big meals like rib-eye steaks and lamb chops. My choice is to go for their specials.
Fairway @ Royal Perak Golf Club (Halal) Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, 31400 Ipoh. Business hours: 7am-10pm Reservations: 05 545 1981 Putrade Allsuites at RPGC Muhammed Ridzuan bin Nordin GM 012 960 3434